Bloomfield
Background * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloomfield_(Pittsburgh) * Neighborhood in City of Pittsburgh. * Often called, "Little Italy" Links * http://www.pittsburghneighborhoodtours.com/pr13/neighborhoods/default.asp?nHood=1 * Liberty Avenue * Article: Pgh's Little Italy in TR by J.S.M. in June, 2008 Blogs * http://www.shoppingbloomfield.com Web * http://www.topix.com/city/bloomfield-pa (Has some links, as most are about Bloomfield in the Harrisburg area.) * Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation Media * Bloomfield finds new housing in old places P-G, September, 2006 http://www.wqed.org/mag/features/0706/neighborhoods2.shtml Median Home Price: $73,500 Population: 9,089 Factoid: Founded by German immigrant John Conrad Winebiddle in early 1800s That's Amore The booth benches are hard, the light is dim, but the burgers are great. And whatever you order at Tessaro's, you'll always get a side order of nostalgia, and maybe even run into your old classmates from the former St. Joseph's Catholic School on your way out the door to Liberty Avenue. Lombardozzi's, Del's and Donatelli's dotting Liberty Avenue aren't just good eating; they're also the heart of Pittsburgh's Little Italy, supported by generations of locals. Flat, walkable and stable, the neighborhood at the northern end of Bloomfield Bridge draws strength from plenty of decades-old institutions, including thriving Liberty Avenue merchants. Downtown Bloomfield"People buy their rings here, get married there, and send their kids to Mac Conception School," says Karla Owens of Bloomfield Jewelry, who's president of the local business group. "We have a strong ethnic identity." One of the neighborhood's most visible ethnic groups are the Italians, represented in September with the local Italian Festival. St. Joseph's ChurchSt. Joseph's Catholic Church is a reminder of the neighborhod's early German heritage. It's now part of Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph Parish. St. Joseph's Church and West Penn Hospital lend a touch of height and red-brick grandeur to this neighborhood of row homes. Splitting Friendship Avenue into two squares behind the hospital, Bloomfield's Friendship Park provides green space close to the business district. It's a popular destination for residents of this neighborhood, which offers large, older homes or cozy row houses. "We have smaller row houses here, giving Bloomfield an edge over Friendship. It's more affordable than Friendship," says graphic designer Terry Aiello. Her Lorigan Street home has been in the family since the early 1900s. Pittsburgh's Little Italy There's room for new, too, like the Luna Square development, a mixed retail-office plan for Baum Boulevard at Cypress. Details * Bloomfield's Halloween parade, called the "Spirit of Bob O'Connor Halloween Parade", is the only night time parade in the city of Pittsburgh. In 2006, the grand marshall was Judy O'Connor and it had 2,000 marchers and some 10,000 spectators. * The Bloomfield Bridge played a role in the life of the Baltimore Colts' Hall of Fame quarterback, Pittsburgh native Johnny Unitas. After being cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955, Unitas played one season for the semipro Bloomfield Rams on Dean's Field under the bridge. Unitas has passed away, and the semipro league has long since folded, but Dean's Field and the Bloomfield Rams still exist. The field is now part of a recreational complex, and Immaculate Conception grade school calls its teams the Rams. ** Called Trivia in Wikipedia and subject to deletion. Harvested in September 2007. Hotel plans for Liberty Avenue and Baum Blvd get delay in December 2008 :WPXI as source A development team has withdrawn its zoning request at the old Don Allen Car Dealership in Bloomfield. This is a chance for both sides of the bargaining table to take a break. On the one side are a half dozen community groups and on the other is the developer who plans to put a hotel on the corner of Baum Blvd. and Liberty Avenue. While there has been agreement on the project in general, it unraveled during a zoning board meeting earlier in the day because of concerns about traffic, the height of the hotel, and what future development around the commerical-residential zone may look like. The traffic congestion that so many have expressed concern about has had tragic consequences over time. One businessman recalled that in the past 40 years, 6 or 7 people have been killed at the intersection of Baum and Liberty. Councilman Bill Peduto said that none of the issues that prompted developers to pull their plan off of the table should result in the project being scrapped altogether. "There is definitely a use for this property and the best use is not a parking lot and a vacant building. What needs to emphasized here is that the project is down, not dead. As the developers are going back to the drawing board, the idea is that they will submit a new proposal for a hotel here some time after the first of next year." Elsewhere * Lawrenceville * Friendship category:where